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German prosecutors probing submarine sale to Israel

26th March 2019 - 15:48 GMT | by Agence France-Presse in Berlin

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German prosecutors confirmed on 26 March that they are investigating the 2017 sale of three submarines to Israel, following recent media reports into the deal.

On 25 March, business newspaper Handelsblatt reported that German authorities are investigating the large military contract concerning the sale of German-built submarines, at the request of authorities in Israel who have been investigating the matter since 2016.

‘An evaluation of the (international) press coverage has given cause for a preliminary investigation,’ a spokesman for Bochum's prosecutors office, which specialises in financial corruption cases, told AFP without giving more details.

The case, known as ‘3000’, focuses on suspicion of corruption surrounding the sale of three Dolphin-class submarines and four Sa'ar 6 naval vessels, built by Thyssenkrupp for a reported sum of around $2 billion.

Last week a former Thyssenkrupp employee was arrested in Israel after informing police of his intention to ‘change the version he gave during the investigation’ into corruption suspicions around the purchase of the German submarines.

Police said in November 2018 there was evidence to press charges against a number of suspects.